Beeswax (yellow and white)

E number E901INS 901CAS 8012-89-3

Used as an emulsifier — Codex also lists it as carrier, glazing agent, stabilizer, thickener.

Beeswax is a glazing agent used to coat confectionery, fresh fruit and supplements, giving a shine and a moisture barrier. It is an animal product, though most vegetarians accept it.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Beeswax (yellow and white) by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1973retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

12 food categories

highest permitted level 200 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 04.1.1.2 Surface-treated fresh fruit — GMP
  • 04.2.1.2 Surface-treated fresh vegetables, (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds and nuts and seeds — GMP
  • 05.1.4 Cocoa and chocolate products — GMP
  • 05.1.5 Imitation chocolate, chocolate substitute products — GMP
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — GMP
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — GMP
  • 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit), and sweet sauces — GMP
  • 07.2 Fine bakery wares (sweet, salty, savoury) and mixes — GMP
  • 13.6 Food supplements — GMP
  • 14.1.4 Water-based flavoured drinks, including "sport," “energy,” or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.1.5 Coffee, coffee substitutes, tea, herbal infusions, and other hot cereal and grain beverages, excluding cocoa — GMP
  • 15.0 Ready-to-eat savouries — GMP
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 901and 11 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Rendered from the honeycomb of the honey bee after honey extraction, then filtered; the white form is additionally bleached. Because it is bee-derived it is not vegan.

  • Not vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
8012-89-3

Every name it appears under

9 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E901

INS number

  • 901

CAS registry number

  • 8012-89-3

As it appears in regulation

  • Beeswax (yellow and white)

Other names

  • BEESWAX
  • Beeswax, white and yellow
  • E 901
  • White wax
  • Yellow wax

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/beeswax-yellow-and-white.json